This invention relates in general to traction drives, and more particularly to a planetary traction drive that is suitable for multiple power inputs.
Traction drives offer several advantages of some significance over more conventional gear drives. For one, they operate more quietly. They also operate more efficiently. Apart from that, they are relatively easy to manufacture and thus are less costly to produce than gear drives. These features make traction drives attractive for marine applications.
Indeed, marine drives often require considerable power which is best derived from multiple power sources. Owing to the advantages inherent in traction drives, it is desirable to have a traction drive that has the capacity to deliver power from multiple power inputs to a single output.